


23:30

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 10:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3378602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ugh, guys. Stop flirting through the satellite, it's fucking gross–” Rin steps on a smoke bomb, and starts coughing. “What– the fuck–” He thinks he might cry, because his eye fucking <i>stings<i>. “Haru! Tell me about these things!”</i></i></p><p>He hears crackling, then his line goes out, silence deafening in his ears.<br/> <br/><i>The fucking asshole had hung up on him.<i></i></i></p>
            </blockquote>





	23:30

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have a sense of humour, the sky is blue, water is wet. Wehh. This is mostly serkestic's fault. I went on a totally different tangent with this, but it's still her fault.

_1._

“Contact in about 2 minutes. Have your revolver ready, Rin,” Haruka says over radio.

“You don't have to tell me that, I know!” He skids around a corner a quickly backs himself against a crate, spinning his switch-blade closed and pockets it.

“Why do you need me then?”  _I could be watching Sousuke's ass through the satellite_ , is what Haruka actually wants to say, probably.

“Because Rei is a terrible field tracker.”

Rin hears a thump from beside him as Rei slides into position. He probably dropped his visor. Or faceplanted.

Or both.

“Rin-san!” Rei hisses, rubbing his nose. “Please execute more caution, we are in an  _enemy base, there are armed guards–_ ”

“8 o'clock, behind the second crate from the left.”

Rin loads his gun and grins. “Let's finish this quick. I have a date with Makoto later.”

 

\-----

 

_2._

Rin is in the middle of a fist fight when Nagisa's voice filters into his receiver.

“Rin-chan! I don't think Mako-chan can make it to your date, he kind of fainted?”

“What the fuck did you do to him?” Right hook. Duck. Tackle.

“About that, can you pick us up at the pier?” He sounds suspiciously chipper.

He narrowly dodges a punch to the face and does a back handspring. “What the  _fuck_ did you do, Nagisa? That was Nakagawa's team's mission!” he hissed.

“We were in the area and just happened to stumbled into the gang meeting. You should've seen Mako-chan! He was like  _swoosh_  and then  _crash_  and just  _knocked everyone over!_  I'm pretty sure it was an accident, though. He looked really scared...”

_I'm fucking scared. Of you guys._

“Oh god, would you just–” Rin bites the man's arm, who somehow managed to put him in a headlock.

The man screams, and Rin elbows him in the stomach, letting him fall to the ground with a hard  _thump_.

“I'll be there in fifteen minutes,” Rin says. “ _Stay. Put.”_

 

\-----

 

3.

“Rin-chan! Makoto's being mean, he told me he wants to switch partners!”

“I would want to too, if I was him. Now get the fuck out of my line, Hazuki. I'm right above you, I can drop an explosive on your head if I want to.”

“Boo. Everyone's so  _mean_ today.”

 

\-----

 

4.

“Rin-san, why does Yamazaki-san work alone? Isn't that dangerous?” Rei asks.

“He doesn't. He has a partner.” Laser alarms – starting from the next tile over. “Haru, can you disable them from there?”

“No,” Haruka says, voice soft behind static noise. “Rei might have a better chance at it. I'll tell him how through his visor.” 

“He does?” Rei looks up from the holographic screen. “Are they on leave?”

“It's Haru.” He wonders if he had managed to keep his voice steady.

“But Haruka-senpai is in Communications, isn't he? Did something happen?” The data Haruka sent had loaded. Rei doesn't look back to it, lets the rows of glowing text hover in front of him.

Rin's boots makes a soft scraping sound against the floor as he slides his legs to himself and hugs his knees. “You'd have to ask them, now, don't you?”

 

\-----

 

5.

"Around thirty-five degrees due north. I think it's a sniper. Be careful, Yamazaki."

“Don't worry, I'll come home tonight, too. You're making croquettes, right?”

“Yeah.” 

“Ugh, guys. Stop flirting through the radio, it's fucking gross–” Rin steps on a smoke bomb, and starts coughing. “What– The fuck–” He thinks he might cry, because his eyes fucking  _sting._  “Haru! Tell me about these things!” 

He hears crackling, then his line goes out, silence deafening in his ears.

_The fucking asshole had hung up on him._

_\-----_

 

6.

' _Ah..._ '

Haruka sits by his bed, fist balled and knuckles white. Behind a sleepy haze, Sousuke sees the way he's shaking, shoulders tense and lips pressed into a thin line. He isn't crying, not now, but he sees the tear stains on his cheeks.

' _I definitely don't want to see him make that kind of face..._ '

It's hard to see Haruka's eyes, when he's looking down at his lap. 

Sousuke thinks he might fall back to sleep, after-images start clouding his vision, black in between every shift of Haruka's posture.

He sees a sharp inhale – his chest heaving – then his mouth parts with a ragged breath.

He doesn't hear what Haruka says.

 

\-----

 

7.

“How are you feeling, Agent Yamazaki?”

Chief Amakata leans against the door frame, sunlight from behind the window blinds casting dark shadows across her face.

“I'll live.” Sousuke raises his hand, rattling the IV drip. “Thing's keeping the pain bearable.”

“You almost wouldn't.” She sighs. “The both of you. What you did was foolish, Yamazaki-kun.”

“I know.” He looks down, counts the threads on the white linen blanket over his lap.

“Say, Chief...”

Sousuke tries not to remember Haruka looming over him, shaking his shoulders, voice in whispers and laced with panic. He tries not to remember the way he had clutched his hand, tight and trembling.

He remembers the loud blaring of the ambulance, Haruka's silence throughout the ride.

“About Nanase...”

 

\-----

 

8.

“Agent Nanase, you'll be transferred to Mission Control. Please drop by Communications later for briefing.”

 

\-----

 

9.

“Hey,” Sousuke rests his chin on top of Haruka's head, watching the large screen with mild interest.

Tachibana just tripped over something again. Or nothing. Most likely nothing.

“You're back.” Haruka doesn't look at him. “Rei, take over for a bit. There's movement around seventy-five degrees due east, around two-hundred metres away. Just concentrate your satellite there. Tell Rin to slow down–”

“Sousuke's home, eh, Haru?” Sousuke hears Rin's static-filled voiced from Haruka's headset.

Haruka pointedly ignores him and puts the headset down – Sousuke can still hear Rin wolf-whistling. He looks at the device for a good minute, probably weighing the consequences of intentionally sending feedback to fuck Rin's ear. He then swivels in his chair to face Sousuke. “Welcome home.”

“Yeah,” Sousuke says. “I'm home.” 

 

\-----

 

10.

Haruka touches Sousuke's shoulder a lot. Idle, feather-light traces of his finger. They way he would just reach out, wavering as his hands stretched forward, curling inwards in a moment's hesitance before brushing the fabric of his uniform over his injured shoulder, Sousuke wonders if it's a silent apology. Haruka's face never gives anything away.

Sousuke takes Haruka's hand in his, noting the way it tenses a little.

“Hey,” he murmurs, lips brushing against Haruka's knuckles. “It's fine.”

 _I don't regret it,_ is what he means.

 _It's my fault,_  is what Haruka says, when he looks at his shoulder with his lips pursed.

“It's not. Stop worrying.”

Haruka never stops, fingers always reaching out to touch him – tapping the back of his hand during briefing, tugging the edges of his sleeve as they line up for lunch, lingering a little too long when he adjusts Sousuke's receiver, sliding from the back of his ear to his shoulder.


End file.
